The struggle
by firenation and love
Summary: Zuko and Kartara become allies after realizing they have the same misson: to beath the firenation but through the hardships they're going to face, will love blossom? zutara


The Struggle

ok so my last story (well more like failed experiment) cooling the fire crashed and burned.  
(fiery explosion)  
im used to have LOTS AND LOADS of feedback/reviews on my stories and well...that last story of which i like slaved over...well its sucked...and i admit...i really do hate it...so heres something new and fresh.  
bold?  
uhh yess!  
PLEASE REVIEW! EVEN IF ITS NEGATIVE...THIS WAY I'LL KNOW WHAT I NEED TO IMPROVE ON.  
(much love)

disclaimer: SHOCKER SHOCKER...i don't own avatar (flatlining) and im not claiming to own any of its copyright/trademark info (band of lawyers)...or daybreak (notices name of chapters) or house (notice choice quotes)

chapter 1: What if they fell.

They fell hard.

Plummeting back down into the jaws of a merciless sea that thrashed below their dangling legs.  
Sokka screamed the whole way down, and Aang was motionless compared to the force of this free fall. Katara prayed in short, breathy whispers to the gods dwelling within the clouds.

The open wound that pertrudes Appa's chest bled freely as he moaned in dispair, losing control of his muscles.

It seemed like forever they were in the midst of uncontroble decent, finding no way to cheat death. But the next thing the felt was a cold stinging sensation that came on so abrubtly,  
they were all in a state of shock when they made impact with deep blue.

Aang, sokka, katara and Toph blacked out simaltanously, floating in a state of unconciouness.  
The sea took no pity as it battered the young teens against eachother. It was restless;  
calming into a tranquil stupor then stirring back up again...waking the beast within.

They fell hard.

(funky star divider means lapse in time :p )

There was sand everywhere.

Within the creases and folds of there clothes, resting in their eyes and mouth, clogging up there ears, and jammed in-between the spacecs of their toes and fingers.

Sokka was the first to wake up, chocking up some sand, as he brushed himself off in the comical fashion he does most everything. Katara rubbed out some loose sand from the inside of her eyes,  
and slowly mounted her self upright, staring with exasperation at the scene that was before.

Toph's screams could be here from a short distance away, "DAMN SAND! I CAN'T SEE I THING"  
she wined, trying to plant her feet into the loose, grainy earth.

Lastly, aang shot up, like nothing happened, unharmed, and immeadtly began his searth for appa.  
"APPA, COME'ERE BOY!" he called out, but the air was still with silence. All that could be heard was the gentle crashing of the waves upon the shoreline.

Appa was no where to be found.

(BOOOM...new scene...same time)

It was with pleasure that Azula, once again, turned on Zuko.

..(blast from the past past)  
"Zuko im so glad you chose me over that pesty uncle of yours," she expressed, examining her dagger sharp nails.

Zuko simply looked down and muttered, "Just promise I'll get my honor restored."

Azula stolled over to him, her amber eyes glistning in the reflection of a glowing candles in the throne room of the Ba Sing Se. She sternly rested her hand on his shoulder, as he turned to face her.

"I promise you will." she re-assured.

But Zuko's heart missed a beat as he deteced that lieing basturd jut from her voice. She had that dead-giveaway-tone that he trained himself to detect, and then to ignore. But it was there,  
and her word was nothing but a fabrication. A neclace made of pyrite, and statue set in bronze.

"OVER MY DEAD BODY!" she added

By the time Zuko found the courage to tell her off, guards had already seized both his arms, and Azula grinned widely.

"I hate you!" he yelled, stuggling for freedom

"ohh dear god, that will surely haunt me for the rest of my life." she sarcasticly quipped

(back to reality..oops there goes gravity)

And now there he was...marooned...on this death-trap of an island. Along side him was the man he betrayed...uncle iroh...who began to wake from being knocked out cold by Azula's band of followers.

"Huh? where am I?" he paniced.

But zuko simply said to his uncle, with a stern yet sincere face, "Im sorry."

(change in scene...aang and the gang)

"I just don't get it," aang tried to comprehend, staring at the corpse of appa which was collapsed on the far side of the beach. Tears of which he tried to swallow back now flowed freely from his eyes.

"Aang, things like this happen, you know how ruthless the firenation are, especially when princess Azula is on their team." katara said, recaling how they barraged appa with cannon after cannon, torched with fire.

Randomly, Sokka confronted katara. "What happened with you and zuko! WHAT did he say?!"

Katara remotly looked down at the sand, brushing it with the toe of her seal fur boots. The wind gently swayed a few pieces of stray hair away from the loosly wrapped bun sitting atop her head.

"Nothing important."

(night time)

The air was a thick mess of fog and darkness that sat heavaly in the midst of their makeshift campsite.  
Embers from a dying campfire were engulfed by the velvet air and swirled up into the atmosphere.  
Toph, Sokka, and Aang; whose eyes were drenched in salty tears had all quietly drifted into slumber while Katara stayed wide awake trembling through her thoughts.

The moon was hidden behind a layer of damp, billowing clouds that hugged the nightime sky.  
Crickets seranaded from the near distance; a tedious melody and various woodland creatures scamperd between the shrubs.

The night seemed so still and Katara found herself in a strange sense of peace. That was altleast true until a roaring clattering noise echoed from far behind her. She uneasily tunred around only to see nothing.

Just the night.

But again, the loud sound of clanking machinery rumbled once more.

"Is anybody their?" she shakily called aloud, but no answer was returned.

(scence change)

"What the hell-" zuko uttered as he stirred from his sleep. The same loud booming noise katara heard was now in ear shot of him. Not wanting to wake Iroh, Zuko dantily snuck out from under the moist cave and stood in the bare night.

"WHOSE THEIR?" he commanded aloud, scanning the permiter with those golden eyes.

Katara heard a man yell something from a the other direction.

"Show yourself coward!" she demmanded, waiting for response.

"Who do you think you are calling me a coward...you...you...COWARD!"

"Hey wait a second..I know that voice." she paused, then guessed, "Zuko?"

"Water peasent?"

They both walk cautiously to eachother, meeting half way.

"JERK!" she shrieked, smaking his across the face with her palm flat open. He looked at her was such an expression of unbelieving...then smaked her back across her cheek.

"Filth."

She wound up her fists, preparing to for fight, slanting her eyebrows downward in an angry fashion,  
but Zuko put his hand out.

"Wait...stop. This is retarded."

She let down her guard a bit "Your nothing but a liar. A filthy, lower than scummer...liar." she accused

He let out a long drawn out sigh and began "Listen, I'm not gonna apoligize because I did what I had to, but Azula turned on me and dumped me on this island. My uncle hates me and refuses to even make eyes contact, and so does everyone else...but you...katara."

She looked up a little bit, perplexed.

"I know this sounds pretty gay...but I think I can actually talk to you about the crap in my life.  
like I did...and you listen, but not only listen understand."

She laughed a little bit and smiled, "That is pretty gay. And this is pretty damn out of character for prince zuko: macho macho man with no feelings."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm trying to change my ways...like have a metemorphosis."

She gazed into the sky again, trying to reconcile what she should belive. 'believe that he's changed,  
or believe that he's the same old prince zuko.'

"What's in it for me?" she asked, running her fingers through her wavy brown locks.

"The chance to be one of those people who save this screwed up world from the rest of my family."

This lit up her eyes a bit. Heroism. Fame. The chance avenge. It sounded all to brilliant and perfect to be true but there was lump in her throat she cound'nt swallow.

"wha-what about aang and my brother and toph?"

His face dropped a bit. "No. They can't come. They'll do fine on their own. Your brother won't agree, aang needs to do his own stuff, and I won't travel around with that blind brat."

She simply nodded her head and whisperd, "I can't."

"But katara, your strong and independent, and I need you specifically to complete the plan."

She cocked her head to the said and inquired, "What plan?"

"I can't tell you yet but I promise tha-"

"no." she cut him off. "I'm sorry zuko." she turned and began walking back to the campsite.

"KATARA WAIT!" he begged, she haulted in her tracks and turned to him.

"If you leave now, this entire world as we know it will fall defenseless to my father and their will be no restistance, no chance... no hope."

"Their's alway hope."

He cast his eyes downwords, his heart plunged, "Your making a mistake. The hope that'll be left is the hope that you stay alive." he raised his voice, "Is that the kind of world you want to live in?!"

That hit her hard. She couldn't stand the thought of the world crumbling when she could do something about it. As vague as Zuko was, she knew what she needed to do.

"Your right." she admitted. "I'll help you, but no changing your mind this time." she said, recalling their last brawl.

"Let's get a move on here. Which way to the shore, do you remember?"

"Yeah its to the east." East...and that would be the biggest mistake they ever made.

a/n: ohh left you on a bit of a cliffy. Theres quite a bit of foreshadowing in this chapter. Next chapter will shed a little more light on that loud clanking noise in the distance and some other intersting things.

Name of next chapter: What if the met someone.  
(as you can tell i get some inspiration daybreak for the chapter names.)

REVIEW PLEASE!!! ANY SORT OF REVIEW IS GREAT! 


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